secretary's budget. 45T 



tree, he said that in the spring the parasitic threads multiply in the 

 bark and finally burst out, the surface at first being a lot of little 

 epores ; then the trouble is very infectious. Resting-spores carry it 

 over the winter. Ergot on rye and strawberry rust also belong to this 

 family. But beyond the first or early stage of this black fungi he knew 

 nothing — did not know what it did the rest of the year, hence could 

 not take care of it. ""There is great need," said he, "of finding out 

 the whole life history of these fungi. Somebody with plenty of time 

 and mone> should take up this subject. It must be borne in mind 

 that fungus is a plant. It grows. It may be killed by poisons or stim- 

 ulated by favoring conditions. Remedies for the diseases thus pro- 

 duced are almost impossible. You cannot restore a plum limb affected 

 with black knot ; you can only cut it off. Fungous diseases call for 

 the surgeon, and not for the practitioner, who restores by remedies. 

 The knife is the only remedy, though it may take the whole tree, and 

 even the orchard at times. 



Regarding preventive measures it is very important that all para- 

 sitic fungus should be gathered and destroyed. Nearly every fungus 

 produces resting-spores ; these come when the fungus is dying. If de- 

 stroyed, then, of course the trouble is removed. This, then, is the time 

 to attack it. Burn up the dead leaves and twigs lest they afford shelter 

 to these spores. As poisons, or fungicides, many things can be used ;: 

 sulphur and its compounds, borax, salicylic-acid and several other 

 things might be mentioned. But all must be brought in direct contact 

 with the fungus, hence of course they are utterly useless in destroying 

 the internal parasites." 



At the conclusion of the paper the reader was applauded, and re- 

 ceived a formal vote of thanks. • 



At the morning session of the second day a paper on the same 

 subject was read by Prof J. C. Arthur, of the New York Experiment 

 Station, the reader, however, confining his remarks more especially to 

 blight. He said experiments had shown that blight could be intro- 

 duced into healthy pear limbs by minute particles of diseased tissue,. 

 or the viscid substance accompanying the disease. A week after such 

 insertion the bark begins to blacken, but the leaves show no affection 

 until the limb is practically dead, which will not be for two or three 

 weeks ; then the leaves die very suddenly, most likely during hot 

 weather or a warm rain. He had only succeeded in inoculating the 

 disease through the leaves by using the very youngest leaves, and then 

 only with much difficulty. He watered the roots with countless billions 

 of pear blight germs, but could not introduce the affection that way,, 

 nor in any matured branch, but he had succeeded almost invariably 



